Bear cubs get spacious new digs in Hunterdon County

Sue Beyer/Express-TimesVolunteers Deb Weyman, Joe Carannante and Susan Bennett help to carry one of the bears into their new enclosure.

Several bear cubs living at a Hunterdon County refuge were moved this morning from their 700 square-foot pen to a comparatively palatial enclosure that workers described as "the penthouse."

Seven of the 10 cubs at the Woodlands Wildlife Refuge in Alexandria Township were transferred to a 5,000 square-foot area at the refuge enclosed by a "heavy duty chain link fence," said Tracy Leaver, director of the facility.

Sue Beyer/Express-TimesNJ Division of Fish and Wildlife employees do a complete work-up on the bears before they were moved to their new enclosure.

The cubs were tranquilized, weighed, tagged and had tissue samples taken which will be added to the state bear database.

"The move went perfectly," said Leaver, who noted that the cubs weigh between 75 - 130 pounds. "It went like clockwork."

The cubs have been at the facility since June, after they were abandoned or orphaned when their parents were killed in various brushes with humans.

But six months later, the cubs are no longer the cuddly, scratching bundles of fur weighing 10 to 18 pounds. They are no longer suckling bottles of baby formula.

Now they weigh 1,000 pounds and -- like growing teenagers -- needed some space.